"UD" 2002 Obituary

UDVARDY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2002-12-03 published
Engineer was 'a man of vision'
He convinced Ontario to test rivers and lakes for mercury poisoning
and other toxins
By Stephanie
CESCASpecial to The Globe and Mail Tuesday, December
3, 2002 -- Page R11
Paul DIOSADY, a Hungarian chemical engineer who helped to modernize
the Ontario Ministry of Environment, has died at his home in
Toronto. He was 88.
Dubbed the "ministry's man of vision" by his colleagues, Mr.
DIOSADY, who died on Oct. 24, encouraged and convinced the ministry
to enhance its analytical capabilities in the 1960s and seventies
critical improvements that were hailed as major breakthroughs
at the time.
His influence meant that by the time he retired as chief scientist
in 1978, the Ministry of Environment had introduced testing equipment
and facilities for mercury, asbestos, pesticides and others.
"He was never satisfied with second-best. That was his legacy,"
said Otto UDVARDY, a friend and former colleague. "He was a perfectionist."
This trait earned him a reputation early on in his career in
Canada. Although he arrived in 1958 with limited English skills,
he was determined that all of his ideas were conveyed perfectly
to everyone, all of the time.
The method he adopted while working at the ministry was to carry
around a roll of paper towels everywhere he went. Whenever he
couldn't communicate properly, he would simply take out a sheet
of paper towel, draw a picture to illustrate his message and
present it to his colleagues.
While the technique was successful, it was soon abandoned. Mr.
DIOSADY was a quick learner, so with his newly acquired English
skills, he began to rise through the ranks.
Born in Transylvania (now in Romania but then part of Hungary)
in 1913, Mr.
DIOSADY came to Canada after already establishing
a successful career as an engineer in Europe. His interest in
engineering began as a student when he learned about the possibilities
that applied science provided. Supported by state scholarships,
he studied in Romania and completed a degree in mathematics and
chemistry and then a graduate degree in chemical engineering.
"He saw applied sciences as a more interesting and rewarding
career," said his son, Levente
DIOSADY, a chemical engineering
professor at the University of Toronto. "He became a very passionate
engineer. He was excited about its possibilities."
After completing his studies in 1941, Mr.
DIOSADY married Irene
SZABO, who was to be his wife for the next 60 years. During the
war, they fled to Budapest where Mr.
DIOSADY worked as an engineer
for the largest leather factory in Hungary at the time. But after
spending four years there, Mr.
DIOSADY decided to take his expertise
elsewhere, so he designed his own leather manufacturing plant,
which opened in 1948. At his own plant, Mr.
DIOSADY used his
creative energy to experiment and invent new tanning agents.
"He thought [his plant] was his greatest achievement because
he built it, designed it and ran it until the end of 1956," Levente
DIOSADY said.
During that time, Mr.
DIOSADY also sat on a European commission
with other leading leather-manufacturing experts. Aware of the
pollution generated by the leather industry, the commission discussed
ways to limit environmental damage.
But Mr. DIOSADY's work on the commission and within his plant
came to a halt during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. He decided
it was time to flee the country.
At the time, the border changed almost weekly, making it dangerous
to cross. To safeguard his family, Mr.
DIOSADY first reconnoitered
the situation alone. He spent four days crossing the Hungarian-Austrian
border and back again so that he would know exactly what to expect
when it was time for all of them to go.
"He went and scouted out the route he was going to take," his
son said. "He was that kind of perfectionist."
On Dec. 31, 1956, Mr.
DIOSADY, his wife and their son Levente
slipped away to Austria, from where they intended to emigrate
to North America and leave war-torn Europe for good.
"The three of us, with another couple, dragged a toboggan with
a suitcase across three miles of fields at night," said Levente
DIOSADY. "We barely missed a patrol, who fortunately were talking
to each other upwind. We hid in a haystack for about an hour
before continuing." Finally, the party reached Austria and safety.
"We crossed over a canal into Austria. The Austrian villagers
had set up a hut with a stove and some wood, just for refugees,"
said Levente Diosady. "It was very exciting for a 13-year-old."
In Vienna, Mr.
DIOSADY was given the option of moving to either
Canada or the United States.
"He chose Canada because there was no conscription in Canada.
He didn't want his son to go to war," Levente
DIOSADY said.
After a brief stint in Montreal, which initially attracted him
because he was French-speaking, Mr.
DIOSADY uprooted for the
last time.
In Toronto, he worked as a chemist for a short while before settling
down at the Ontario Water Resources Commission, which later became
a part of the Ministry of Environment.
He retired 20 years later in 1978, but only after his efforts
had helped to enhance the ministry's capabilities, urging and
convincing the ministry to acquire state-of-the-art equipment
and facilities.
As a result of Mr.
DIOSADY's efforts, the ministry was able to
test for mercury before 1970, when a worldwide mercury scare
came to North America after poisoned fish were discovered in
Ontario.
"He was a workaholic," his son said. "And scientifically ahead
of his time."
Mr. DIOSADY also helped to form the Hungarian Canadian Engineers
Association, and even served as its president for a term in the
late fifties.
"Within the association, he was highly respected all the time,"
said Steve
KOVACS, a friend and former president of the organization.
"He really wanted to do all he could for us."
Although he was officially retired in 1978, Mr.
DIOSADY continued
to work on a part-time basis. He became a consultant to Canada's
pharmaceutical industry and for 10 years helped in the production
of generic drugs.
Outside of work, Mr.
DIOSADY played the piano and the violin
instruments he taught himself to play while in university.
He also spent time researching Hungarian folk music and, in his
final years, writing his memoirs.
In addition to his son, Levente, Mr.
DIOSADY leaves his wife,
Irene, and two grandchildren, Andrew and Laslo.
Paul DIOSADY, chemical engineer; born in Transylvania, Hungary,
on Dec. 28, 1913; died in Toronto, Oct. 24, 2002.